Holness pleads with young men of Cherry Tree Lane to stay away from gangs
AZALEAH CAMPBELL / Our Today
Prime Minister Andrew Holness made it clear to residents of Cherry Tree Lane, in Four Paths Clarendon that, contrary to popular belief, gangs cannot protect communities.
He drove home the message, particularly to young men, as to why none of them should join gangs or hold sympathy for gang members.
“They don’t mean you any good,” Holness told the young men during a visit to Cherry Tree Lane on Monday, August 12, a day after gunmen shot up a birthday party, killing eight people and injuring nine others. The attack is said to be reprisal for an incident in 2023.
Eight persons have so far been arrested in relation to the attack.
Holness went on to debunk the Jamaican notion that gangs are a result of poverty or poor circumstances.
“An M16 rifle is not cheap. Ammunition is not cheap. To rent the car or own the car is not cheap. To pay people to do this is not cheap,” Holness explained.
The prime minister believes that once gangs start to feel uncomfortable in their communities and are no longer protected, they will be destroyed.
Comments